I Will Always Love You
by twin who likes to travel
Summary: Jessie and Katie deal with the problems of separation, college, and life after college. This one contains a few things I'd never seen before in a Jessie/Katie story and something I'd only seen once or twice.
1. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 1. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: I got around to writing another story. It probably won't be as good as the first one though. It's just another story where they break up after being together briefly. They then reunite some time later. Not sure how long that time will be for right now.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the show.

Reviews: Yes, I would like them.

Author's notes: Words in italics throughout the story are personal thoughts of the characters at that moment. Words in all capital letters required special emphasis.

* * *

Three months after the kiss in the attic, Jessie had finally told her parents about her true relationship with Katie. She wanted to keep it a secret until she was ready to tell them. Katie agreed only because she loved Jessie and would do anything for her. After those three months, Jessie could no longer keep it a secret. She saw what it was doing to Katie; no matter how hard she tried to hide it. She was surprised when her family told them they already knew it. They voiced their concerns, but gave them their full support. Shortly after that, Rick got the job offer in Australia. Jessie would have to spend most of her junior year over there. She refused to go and was able to convince her dad to let her stay with her mom. Katie had starting filling out college applications earlier that month. She had applied to colleges like Stanford, UCLA, Harvard, and Northwestern. She had only applied to Harvard to make her parents happy, but secretly hoped to be rejected. Jessie and Katie decided together that Katie would go to Northwestern for a year, and then transfer to be with Jessie at UCLA. Katie had planned to major in law while Jessie chose medicine.

Then the trouble began with Katie being accepted by every college. Since Katie's family had a tradition of going to Harvard, she was forced to go there. She tried as hard as she could to get her parents to change their minds, but it was no use. Katie obviously was upset, but Jessie said she understood. They thought their relationship would be strong enough to handle the long distance. They began to fight from time to time about things like Katie going to Harvard, her popularity, and finally Jessie's jealousy of it. This popularity is the reason they would attend every party thrown by her classmates. Even when they wanted to be alone, Katie wouldn't let the others down. This would aggravate Jessie to the point where they would leave some parties in a fight. The final fight came a month before Katie's junior prom. Jessie ended the fight by saying that if Katie really loved her then she would have fought harder to go to Northwestern instead of Harvard. Katie responded by saying that she thought Jessie understood and was just using Katie's guilt to get her own way. With that they ended the relationship. Katie ended up going to the prom with Tad as friends instead of with Jessie.


	2. Goodbye, For Now Anyway

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 2. Goodbye, For Now Anyway

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Jessie and Katie try being apart for awhile.

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own any of the characters from the tv show.

Reviews: Yes, I would like them.

* * *

Grace and Tad had tried for the remainder of the school year to get the two of them back together, but had no luck. Both girls were too stubborn to make the first move. Jessie decided that since she and Katie probably wouldn't be getting back together soon that she would go to Australia with the rest of her family. Grace once again tried to convince Jessie to stay and work things out with Katie. It turned out to be just another failed attempt. On the first day of summer, Jessie went over to Katie's house to let her know that in a week she would be heading to Australia.

"So, that's it? You're just going leave without trying to work this out?"

"Katie, we can't seem to work this out right now, so it's best for me to leave for awhile."

Tears were beginning to show on Jessie's face. Katie looked at her for a second then decided to give her a hug goodbye as tears rolled down her cheek as well. Jessie returned the hug for a minute and then broke away. She slowly turned her back to Katie and walked away from her first true love. Both felt their hearts breaking with every step Jessie took on her way home.

A week later

Jessie said goodbye to her mother at the airport and headed towards the plane. Karen called Eli back to her for a minute and had him promise to watch out for Jessie for fear that Jessie might relapse. Eli told her that the entire family would watch out for her and made his way to the plane as the last boarding call was made.

Upton Sinclair - The beginning of Katie's senior year

Katie had somehow made it through the summer without any major problems. Unless you counted Sarah's renewed attempt at becoming a big part of Katie's life again, and what seemed like to be a growing feeling of resentment from Karen Sammler. Katie felt this was uncalled for since Jessie was the one who ended the relationship, but didn't confront her on it. Sarah smirked as she thought to herself on the first day of school. Now with poor, little Jessie Sammler out of the way, it should be easy to win back Katie's heart. Katie's life at school went pretty much back to normal. After all, she still had a whole school who adored her. After a month or so, she seemed to everyone to be the Katie they all knew and loved. Tad was the only one who could see through Katie's act and knew Katie was still in pain.

Sydney, Australia

Meanwhile, Jessie had gotten through the summer a little better than Katie had. She had her brother Eli to thank for that. He had convinced her to go with him on his daily trips to the nearby beach to check out the girls. They both got more than enough attention from the people they met while they were there. Jessie got attention from both boys and girls. There were even a few days where Jessie went back home with more phone numbers than Eli. Grace and the rest of the family had no problems teasing him about it when it happened.

Eli just shrugged it off with a simple comment, "Hey, she had to learn from somebody, didn't she?"

Jessie would respond to this with a roll of her eyes and make her way to her bedroom while occasionally stopping at the trash can in the family room to discard a few phone numbers. Eli explained to them that the girls had reminded her of Katie in some way, or another. This was the beginning of growing resentment towards Katie from everyone, except Grace. She was the only one, other than Jessie and Katie, who knew all the details of the breakup. As much as she loved Jessie, she couldn't hold a grudge against Katie. Jessie got into a routine at school. Her family could tell she was having a rough time, but as the time progressed she gradually got better.


	3. Too Good To Be True

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 3. Too Good To Be True

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: While the rest of the family avoids Katie, Jessie faces another crisis.

Disclaimer: Other than the character, Elizabeth Walker, I own nothing.

Reviews: I would like them.

* * *

Things were going well for everyone in Australia. Rick had gotten another job offer, which kept Jessie there for the rest of the school year. Jessie had entered into another relationship with a girl she had met at the beach, who ended up going to her school. Elizabeth Walker seemed to have it all. She was extremely smart, perky, confident, funny, very kind (almost too kind sometimes), and charming. She won over Jessie's family almost as fast as the girl who seemed to now be only a faint memory. Jessie was first drawn to her by her light brown hair that went slightly past her shoulders and big, brown eyes. When she would fake a pout, it would remind her of a cute, puppy dog. As much as Jessie tried, her new girlfriend couldn't fill the void left by Katie. Jessie's family felt bad for her and hoped that would change soon. Little did anyone know Elizabeth kept a dark secret. She had been in and out of mental hospitals from the age of thirteen to sixteen due to dangerous fits of rage. In fact it had been only two months after being released when she met Jessie at the beach. Elizabeth had become great in hiding this from Jessie and her family. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before she snapped again.

The latest project for Rick was coming to an end, and the family would be heading back home. Jessie was anxious to get back for three reasons. She had missed her mother tremendously, it gave her a way out of her relationship with Elizabeth, and she actually missed Upton Sinclair. Which shocked even her family since the only person that it made it bearable was no longer in their lives; or so they thought.

Jessie was struggling with how to end a relationship that was going nowhere. She decided to just to be honest with her. As the last day of school ended, Jessie asked Elizabeth if they could go somewhere private to talk. Elizabeth had felt what was coming for at least a week, so she had a surprise waiting for Jessie. They went to the beach where they first met and headed to a nearby alcove so they could be alone.

"Elizabeth, I need to tell you something."

Jessie then began to hesitate before she continued. It only lasted a minute before Elizabeth interrupted her.

"Just spit it out, Jessie," she said nervously.

"Elizabeth, we can't see each other ever again. You're a really great person, but this isn't working anymore."

"But why?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

"Because I can't keep leading you on in the hope that my feelings will change when they won't."

Then tears started to fall from her eyes too.

"You can't do this to me, Jessie," she began to scream.

Jessie started to become scared.

"Unfortunately, I am. I'm moving back to the United States in a week."

She slowly rose to her feet and turned to walk away.

"Jessie, wait a second," was the last thing she heard before everything went black.


	4. Alive And Kicking

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 4. Alive And Kicking

Author: j_rock873

Rating: R (due to violence and some profanity)

Summary: The Sammlers and Mannings return home while Katie graduates from high school.

Disclaimer: As usual I don't own any of the characters from the show, but I do own the character Elizabeth Walker.

Reviews: Ok, you already know the answer to this one, but I will say it again. Yes I would like reviews.

* * *

Jessie came to by the feeling of cold water being splashed in her face. She looked up at her now ex-girlfriend, Elizabeth, who had a wicked grin on her face. Shortly after that, she realized that she had been tied up and was deeper into the alcove where they couldn't and wouldn't be seen or heard by the traffic on the nearby road.

"Elizabeth, what the hell do you thinking you're doing?" she asked angrily.

"I'm kidnapping you, you heartless b*tch. And that's just the beginning," she stated casually and ended with a hearty laugh.

"You won't get away with this."

"Yes, I will, and no one will find your body."

Jessie was then blindfolded and gagged. She could feel Elizabeth's breath as she contemplated her next move. Jessie squirmed as she felt her jeans being roughly pulled down and her shirt being ripped from her body. During the struggle, Jessie could feel the knots coming loose. _This is it. Here's my chance. It's either now or never. _

Jessie quickly worked her hands free, ripped off the blindfold, and removed the gag from her mouth as her jeans and shoes were pulled off of her. She leaned forward and threw a punch that hit her assailant squarely in the left side of her face. It had just enough force to knock Elizabeth back so she could quickly stand up. Elizabeth charged towards her and was met with a hard kick to the stomach and a roundhouse kick to her head; which knocked her out cold. Jessie quickly put her jeans and shoes back on, and made a dash for the road that lead back home. Back at Jessie's house everyone was frantic. She had been missing for over an hour now.

"Where could she be, Lily?" Rick asked as he paced back and forth in the family room. He glanced at a picture of Jessie as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I don't know, Rick, but if she doesn't come back within the next hour I say we call the police," Lily replied with the same amount of fear in her voice. Before Lily could even finish the sentence, Jessie quickly made her way into the house. Then headed directly towards the sounds she heard coming from the family room.

"JESSIE, where were you? We've been worried sick."

Everyone then noticed Jessie was nearly out of breath and wearing a very torn t-shirt.

"Oh My God. Jessie, what happened to you?"

"That basket case Elizabeth kidnapped and assaulted me. She also had plans to kill me. I showed her why to never mess with a Sammler."

Her family then gave a group sigh of relief, but not before Jessie could get in one more comment.

She said with a roll of her eyes, "Can we go home now?"

Back at Upton Sinclair High School

Katie strode to the podium with confidence to deliver the valedictorian speech. Even though Katie was a good student, nobody thought at the beginning of the year that this would be happening. After Jessie had left for Australia, Katie spent the majority of her time dedicated to her schoolwork, much to Sarah's dismay. Tad, however, made sure that she never missed a party. She gave the standard speech given by previous speakers. This didn't stop the expected response. Thunderous applause and repeated loud shouts of "KATIE!" could be heard throughout the auditorium. Katie looked towards the back of the room and saw someone she didn't think she'd see again so soon - the one and only Grace Manning. Katie smiled at her, which was returned with an equally heartfelt smile.


	5. Conversation Over Coffee

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 5. Conversation Over Coffee

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Katie and Grace have a friendly, but slightly tense chat over coffee.

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in this chapter.

Reviews: Yes, I would like them.

* * *

After Katie and the rest of her classmates had received their diplomas and made their way out of the auditorium, she spotted Grace. As she was passing by her crowd of admirers to get to her, she was stopped by Sarah Grasser.

"What do you want, Sarah?" Katie asked with a look of contempt on her face.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your speech and ask if you had anything else planned for tonight?" she asked with a hopeful tone in her voice.

"Just checking out the few parties going on tonight. You know a party's not a real party without my presence there."

"Trust me, I already knew that. See you later then."

She then turned and left with a smirk on her face. Katie hadn't even been alone for thirty seconds before she was interrupted again. This time it was by her best friend, Tad. He greeted her with a smile and joined her as she finally got to Grace.

"I see some things never change," Grace said as she greeted Katie with a hug and Tad with a brief smile and a quick hello. Katie was surprised, but hugged her back. Even though she and Grace were still friends, she didn't expect that from her.

"So, Grace, what are you doing back here already? I thought you said that all of you would be back in a little over a week from now?"

She then smiled nervously at her. Katie was then met with an eye roll and a sarcastic response.

"Nice to see you too, Katie. I just wanted to see my best friends' graduation is all."

Tad, who was often clueless, could sense the slight tension and decided it was time to make his exit.

"Well, I guess I'll go now. Are you two coming to the parties later?"

Katie and Grace exchanged looks of curiosity and encouragement. Then they looked back at him.

"Sure, we'll be there."

Grace and Katie decided to go to a nearby coffee shop to talk since e-mails could only do so much. They talked about the gossip that had been floating through the halls of Upton Sinclair since their last e-mail, what it was like living in another country for a year, and colleges. Grace, of course, knew Katie's plans, but Katie didn't know hers. Grace talked about her plans to go to Columbia and major in publishing with a minor in journalism. She could see August Dimitri still had an influence on her decisions. The talk finally made it to the topic of Jessie.

"So, how's she doing?" she asked, not a hundred percent sure she really wanted to know the answer.

"Oh, you know, she still studies hard. Trying to be `perfect little Jessie'," Grace said with a chuckle.

Grace knew what was coming next, so she was ready to lie to her. She didn't want to lie, but felt it was the best thing at the moment. She knew Jessie would be uncomfortable talking about Elizabeth. Grace was still unaware of what Jessie's soon to be ex had tried to do.

"So, is she seeing anyone at the moment?"

"Not that I know of right now anyway. She had made a few friends and was hit on by both girls and guys, but nothing serious."

She waited patiently to see what Katie's response would be to that.

"Ok, I knew her baby blues, blonde hair, and angelic smile would attract some attention, but I'm shocked she didn't find someone else."

She tried not to appear too happy by what Grace said, but wasn't very convincing.

"I guess we should check out those parties now, huh?" Katie said, motioning to the door.

"I'm ready if you are."

Katie nodded yes.

"Ok, let's go." _Good, she bought it._ Grace thought as they left the shop, hopped into Katie's car, and headed to the first party.


	6. Let's Party

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 6. Let's Party

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Katie and Grace have some fun partying.

Disclaimer: I own no one in this chapter.

Reviews: Of course I want them.

* * *

The first party had been a disappointment, so after an hour they moved on to Tad's party. As they made their way through his house to look for him, they saw the party in full swing. It already had all the characteristics of a normal high school party: kids passed out all over the place, extremely loud music, all types of sounds coming from the rooms on the second floor, and wild dancing. They found Tad in the kitchen, grabbed a few drinks, and made their way over to him.

Tad greeted them with a smile and a shout, "Katie, Grace, you made it."

Katie and Grace seemed to be in good moods, so he assumed the tension was gone at least for now.

"Of course we made it. No party is complete without Katie Singer."

Grace, who normally would have rolled her eyes and come back with a sarcastic comment by now, just smiled. Katie and Tad sensed this reaction was due to the small amount of alcohol she had before the girls got there.

"I'll definitely miss that combination of confidence and witty sense of humor, Katie."

"Thanks, Tad. I'll miss you, too."

"So what college accepted you, Tad?" Grace asked with a smirk on her face.

"Texas A&M gave me a football scholarship," Tad said with pride.

"So then the rest of the country will get to see you sacked at least once every game like we do?" Grace teased Tad, who tried to seem offended, but his half smile proved just the opposite.

Two hours later

Katie, Grace, and Tad had joined the rest of the dancers in the next room after a few more drinks. By this point of the night, Katie had become oblivious to the attention she was getting from almost everyone. That was until she felt someone rubbing up against her from behind. In her drunken state, Katie judged the looks on the faces of Grace and Tad to mean that it could only be one person behind her – Jessie Sammler. Katie then allowed the girl behind her to wrap her arms around her waist. She could smell the alcohol on the breath of the girl behind her. _Jessie doesn't drink. My mind must be playing tricks on me._ She had to know for sure who was behind her.

"Jessie, I missed you."

Katie smiled as she turned around, only to be quickly and passionately kissed by a very drunk Sarah Grasser. The kiss had caught the attention of everyone. You could literally hear a pin drop as the whole room had become completely silent. They all waited in anticipation of what fury Katie was about to unleash on Sarah, the only girl who could bring out the anger Katie kept inside.

"Sarah, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

She then shoved Sarah away, who promptly staggered back and fell to the floor loudly.

"I'm trying to show you how you could be treated better by me than by a certain blonde who shall remain nameless. Where is the poor, little thing anyway because she certainly isn't here?"

"Sarah, get it through your thick skull. We were NEVER together, and we NEVER will be, so get OVER it."

Sarah's shocked look was met with laughter from everyone within hearing range. Katie got in one final comment as she and Grace were heading toward the front door.

"Just because Jessie and I aren't together right now, it doesn't mean that it won't change in the future."

The next morning

"OW! Where the hell am I? Did someone get the license plate number of the car that hit me? I'm not drinking that much ever again," Katie said to what she thought was an empty room as she sat up, and prepared to get out of her bed.

"I SURE hope not. I almost had to carry you out to your car," a mysterious voice called out from behind her.

"AHHH!" Katie screamed, jumped out of bed, and landed face first on the floor with a loud thud. She noticed a slight look of concern when she turned around, and saw Grace looking at her.

"Grace? Excuse me for being repetitive, but what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were ok and to see if what you said last night was true or not?"

"Why? What happened last night?" Katie looked puzzled, "The last thing I remember was heading to the dance floor at Tad's party."

Katie began to worry.

"Are you sure that's the last thing you remember?"

Katie nodded yes. Grace began telling her what happened from the time they hit the dance floor until they left the party. Katie felt even more nauseous when she found what had gone on between her and Sarah. She actually threw up right after Grace mentioned the kiss. Fortunately, for both of them Grace had grabbed a nearby, trash can before she even began talking again.

"So, is it true or not?" Grace patiently questioned her.

Katie slowly looked up at her.

"Yes, it's true," she nervously replied.

"Ok. Well, I'll leave you alone now so you can get over that hangover."

"Grace, thanks for everything."

She reached over to her night stand, and grabbed the few aspirin and glass of water that Grace obviously put there

"You're welcome."

Grace then made her way out of Katie's house.


	7. Love Still Remains

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 7. Love Still Remains

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: The Sammlers and Mannings return home from Australia.

Disclaimer: The only character I own in this chapter is Elizabeth Walker. She is only mentioned in this chapter though.

Reviews: Of course I want them.

* * *

A week later

Grace waited for her family in the airport terminal. It had been slightly over a week when she had left them in Australia to come back home to see her two best friends graduate from Upton Sinclair. She knew there would be some slight tension, especially since the trip home was a surprise for her friends. Even though Grace enjoyed the time spent in another country; she also missed Upton Sinclair. She then spotted her family slowly making their way to the baggage, claim area. She smiled as she tried to picture their reactions as they come home to a very clean house with a fully stocked fridge.

She had spent most of the week preparing for their return by cleaning the entire house and making a trip to the local grocery store. She even had a warm, home cooked meal waiting for them at home since they would be in no mood or have the energy to prepare a meal. Katie offered to help, but only on the condition that Grace didn't mention it to her family. This puzzled Grace, but she happily accepted her assistance. Katie was a great cook. Jessie had described how delicious every meal was that Katie had prepared for her and Karen.

Katie had spent most of the first week of summer either at the lake or looking for a summer job. The only time she had spent with Grace since the night of the party was the day her family would be arriving home from Australia. Even though most of the family seemed to still resent her, Katie helped her anyway. Katie and Grace prepared a meal that consisted of the favorite foods of every member of the family. She didn't completely understand why she did it. She decided that it was due to the fact that she still loved Jessie.

The family had finally left the airport. It seemed to everyone that it took forever to get their luggage and make it out of the parking garage. Grace noticed that the only one who was able to stay awake during the ride home was Jessie, so she decided to start up a conversation with her.

"So, Jessie, how well did Elizabeth take the break up?" she asked casually.

This caught the attention of everyone else in the car. They were shocked that she could ask such a question. Then they remembered that Jessie asked them not to say anything to Grace or Karen. She wanted to wait until she felt it was the right time, and this moment didn't feel like it.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

Grace watched them as all eyes hesitantly wandered towards Jessie. She looked at Jessie with an arched eyebrow.

"I'll tell you when we get home," Jessie replied as she stared out the window.

Sammler/Manning house

Grace laughed as she was eventually able to wake up everyone else who dozed off on the way home. She had called Katie on the drive home while everyone else was asleep. Katie had been watching over the food in the kitchen, so it would still be warm when Grace pulled into the driveway. As soon as she got the call, Katie quickly made her way out of the house and headed home. When everyone had made it through the door, they could smell the aroma of a delicious, home cooked meal waiting for them.

Dinner was eaten in almost complete silence. A few times during the meal, Grace caught Jessie staring at her only to quickly look back down at her plate.

"What?" Grace would mumble to Jessie.

"Nothing," Jessie would mumble back then give a brief smile.

"If all of you are finished eating, Jessie and I will clean up so you can go to bed." Grace then looked over to Jessie who nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, girls," Rick and Lily replied unanimously. Eli and Zoe merely nodded and headed to their bedrooms.

After the rest of them had left, Grace and Jessie cleared off the dining room table and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Jessie then started the conversation.

"She helped you, didn't she?" Jessie asked with her a curious smile on her face.

"She who?" Grace smiled back.

"Katie helped you. I know she did."

"What makes you think I didn't do this myself?"

"Because I've tasted your cooking before," Jessie said with a roll of her eyes. "So how is she doing?"

"Well, I guess as well as can be expected," Grace only looked at Jessie before continuing, "She still loves you."

"Really? How do you know for sure?"

Jessie tried hiding her excitement, but she was never good at it when she tried.

"Because I could see it in her eyes when she told off Sarah at Tad's post graduation party."

Jessie tensed up at hearing that name, but smiled at the thought of Katie telling her off.

"Anything else?" Jessie asked slowly.

"Yes, she made valedictorian, gave a simple speech, and still got the expected ovation of the entire crowd."

Then she gave a sarcastic laugh with Jessie quickly laughing back just as hard.

"So enough about Katie, how did Elizabeth handle the break up?" Grace asked slightly concerned.

"Oh," Jessie spoke slowly and timidly; afraid of Grace's reaction.

Jessie then told her everything that she could remember from that day after leaving school with Elizabeth. While she gave her the details, the reaction on Grace's face was a combination of shock, fear, anger, and finally relief.

"OH MY GOD, Jessie, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I should have been able to see through her disguise. At least that tae kwon do paid off."

She then hugged Jessie as tightly as she could.

"How could you have known, Grace? None of us knew the truth," Jessie asked with tears in her eyes; overwhelmed by Grace's display of care and concern for her.

"Because I'm usually the most perceptive person in this house. After all, I'm the first one to notice the true feelings between you and Katie."

She then mentally slapped herself in the head for not being able to shut up before saying Katie's name.

"Grace, it's ok, really it is." Jessie could tell Grace felt bad for mentioning Katie like that, "Just don't tell Katie, ok?"

"Sure."

Then after a simple "Good night." and another hug they headed to bed.


	8. The Cold Shoulder

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 8. The Cold Shoulder

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Katie begins to avoid her family.

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from the show. I don't know if they actually gave specific names for the brothers, or parents Katie mentioned on the show, so I just chose a couple. I may also come up with a few new characters for this and maybe a few upcoming chapters.

Reviews: As usual, I want them.

* * *

Beginning of July

In early June, Katie had gotten a summer job at a local Starbucks. She worked Monday-Friday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. She enjoyed this because it took her mind off of feelings of resentment from Jessie's family and her growing resentment toward her parents. It also took her mind off of Jessie. If she was busy working, then there was less time spent missing her. That was until the day Jessie and Grace happened to stop by there after a day of shopping. Grace had begun buying things she felt necessary for her dorm room at Columbia. They had almost missed her. Right as they were paying for their order, Katie came out from the back room and had begun restocking the shelves out front. She hadn't even seen them. From behind her, she heard her name being called from what sounded like shocked voices.

"Katie? Katie Singer, is that you?"

She recognized those voices immediately. She slowly stood up and turned around to come face to face with the stunning blonde with blue eyes.

"Uh, h-hi, Jessie. Hi, Grace," she replied with a nervous tone in her voice.

"So what are you doing here?" Jessie and Grace asked together.

"Just working obviously, it helps make the day go by faster," she said with a slightly raised eyebrow and a slowly growing smile.

"So what are the two of you doing today?"

"We're doing some shopping. Grace is just getting prepared for college."

Silence fell between the three as the dreaded topic of college suddenly came up.

"So how often do you work here? Maybe if you had some free time, we could hang out together."

"Yeah, maybe we could do that. I start early in the mornings during the week, but I'm off by 3:00. I have the weekends off to my surprise."

Both girls tried to hide the slight excitement, but Grace caught it as usual.

"Just give me a call sometime. You know the number."

Katie continually tried hiding her excitement, but it just kept growing along with her smile

"Sorry, but I need to get back to work now."

"Ok, well, I guess we'll see you later then," Jessie said as she noticed a man, apparently Katie's boss, starting to stare at them.

Early August

Jessie and Katie had been hanging out together from time to time since that day at Starbucks. They had fun even though each time had some tense moments. It had slowly become more frequent each time, so by the time August came around they saw less and less of each other. Jessie would occasionally make a Starbucks run to see Katie if only for a few minutes. Jessie came to Katie's house to see her one more time before she went to Harvard. Katie saw her coming just as she was heading towards her older brother, who was waiting in his car, to drive her to the airport.

"Hi, Jess, long time no see, huh? Come to see me before I leave for the airport?" Katie asked as she was putting her suitcases in the back.

Jessie nodded yes slowly.

"Good luck, Katie. Maybe we can get together again during the holidays?"

"Well, you know what they say. Hope springs eternal."

Then they gave each other a quick hug and a very short peck on the lips.

"Ok, let's go, Christopher. I have a plane to catch."

Jessie smiled and waved goodbye as they turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

Harvard – A week before Thanksgiving

Katie had gotten into a routine. She was doing fairly well in her classes, had made a few friends, and became really good friends with her roommate, Amy Richards. Amy didn't fit the stereotype of a law student either. In fact she was just as crazy as Katie when they felt the urge to get wild together on the weekend. She was 5'7, with green eyes, and could have passed as Jessica Alba's long lost twin. As much she tried, Katie would still go to sleep every night while thinking about Jessie.

This began to become a slight problem because when she would think of her it would quickly make her think about her parents, who she now despised. She had talked to Jessie about what the plans were for the upcoming holiday. Jessie hoped Katie would come back home. As much as she wanted Katie there, Jessie's family felt the opposite. Katie had started avoiding her parents at the beginning of October. They had called many times, but either Katie wouldn't answer it or would get Amy to tell them that she wasn't there. The only one in her family that Katie would talk to was her brother, Christopher, as long as he didn't tell their parents that the two spoke frequently. She had decided that she wouldn't be going home for Thanksgiving and wasn't sure about the Christmas/New Years break either. Jessie understood, but it didn't hurt any less.

"So, Katie, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?" Amy asked while reading over an assignment due the next day.

"Well, you know I'm not going home, so no plans yet. Why do you ask?"

"Would you like to spend it with me and my family in California then? The weather is still pretty nice back home."

"Sure, do you think you could even teach me how to surf?" Katie said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Definitely, I love surfing."

The next day Katie received a phone call from her brother. Amy just happened to be in the room and heard the whole conversation.

"Hi, Chris, I know what you want, and the answer is still no."

"Oh, come on, Katie. Come home, we miss you."

"No, Chris, I already made plans to go back to California with Amy," Katie said firmly and a little coldly before hanging up the phone. Then she looked at her roommate. "So when do we leave?"

"We leave in a couple of days," she said as they both went back to their studies.

Katie had enjoyed the trip. She had picked up surfing with ease. Amy's family welcomed Katie into their house warmly. While she was there, Katie would catch the glances Amy would throw her way. They felt like the same way Jessie would look at Katie when they were together, which made her kind of uneasy. She would shake it off since she saw within the first couple of weeks of how big of a flirt Amy was around both guys and girls who they both agreed seemed attractive.

Evanston, IL

Jessie's thanksgiving holiday hadn't gone well. She began to resent both of her parents a little for the way they still treated Katie. She resented Katie's parents as much as Katie had. Whenever they asked her if she talked to Katie, she would always say no. So as far as Katie's parents knew, she wasn't talking to anyone back in IL. As far as school was concerned, she was doing well. She was at the top of her class, and if she kept up the hard work she was a shoe in for valedictorian too. Her social life didn't disappear at school after Katie left. It was going strong, even though everyone knew the two weren't together anymore. It made her laugh sometimes how much her classmates would try to get her attention simply because they thought it would get them closer to Katie again. The only thing funnier was the occasional jock who thought that he could draw her attention back to guys. Jessie would think to herself when she left school everyday. _They will never learn. _


	9. Almost Home For The Holidays

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 9. Almost Home For The Holidays

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Jessie and Katie spend a day alone together in Chicago.

Disclaimer: The only character I own in this chapter is Katie's roommate, Amy Richards.

Reviews: Of course, you know I want them.

* * *

Harvard - Two weeks before the Christmas/New Years break

Things were still the same for Katie at Harvard. She still wasn't talking to her parents. She knew this hurt them, but she didn't care. They had hurt her just as much. When she had tried for scholarships or any other type of financial aid so she wouldn't have to submit to her parents' demands, it wouldn't work. Her parents made too much money for her to qualify for any type of help. It was either Harvard or nothing.

"Hi, Katie, how are you doing up there?" was the first thing Katie heard when she picked up the phone.

"Hi, Chris, I'm ok. How's it going there?"

"You know the answer to that one already. So are you going to come home this time?"

"No, Chris, I won't. I was invited by my roommate again. So quit asking."

She then hung up as Amy walked through the door.

"So, I guess by that look that the phone call was from your brother, Chris, asking if you were going home for the holidays?"

"Yes, I told him that you invited me already," Katie said with a nervous smile.

"Funny, I don't remember asking yet," she said in what she hoped sounded like a slightly angry tone. It had actually worked enough for Katie to get a little worried. Then when Amy smiled, Katie gave a sigh of relief.

"Actually, I was just getting ready to ask you. I guess I already know the answer."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Oh, by the way, I hope you don't mind if there's a day layover in Chicago."

She knew from hearing Katie talk about Jessie it wouldn't bother her that much.

"Sure, I guess I wouldn't mind as long as it's only for a day."

The next few weeks were spent studying like mad for their finals. So when it came time to head to the airport, they couldn't get there fast enough. Katie had called Jessie and let her know she would be in Chicago for a day. They had made plans to spend most of that time together.

Chicago, IL – December 22nd

Jessie had told Grace about her plans with Katie. Grace was a little bit shocked, but was still happy for her. Jessie had moped around during Thanksgiving. She put on a good act around the rest of the family though. So when the day came, she decided to help her out. They had told their parents that she and Jessie would be spending most of the day in Chicago. While Jessie was hanging out with Katie, Grace was hanging out with a guy she met while at college.

Since it was a cold and dreary day in the Windy City, Katie and Jessie had spent most of the day indoors. They went to the movies, had a nice lunch, and spent the rest of the day in the hotel Katie and Amy were staying at until the following morning. They took full advantage of both pools. After splashing around for awhile, they relaxed in the heated whirlpool. They caught up on old times and how Jessie was handling Upton Sinclair without Katie. It was going surprisingly well. There was very little tension.

"So, they are that pathetic about trying to keep in close contact with me, even though we're not together right now?"

Katie busted out laughing and Jessie quickly joined her.

"I don't know how you were able to stand it, Katie."

Jessie then gave her a smile that would normally give Katie butterflies in her stomach.

"Well, there was someone there who made it worth it," Katie said as she leaned in and whispered softly into Jessie's ear; giving her goose bumps along her neck and shoulder.

"You made it worth it for me, too. Where are you going?" she questioned Katie as she saw her suddenly jump out of the water and reach for a towel.

"Come with me. I have something for you upstairs."

Then they made their way up to Katie's hotel room

"Merry Christmas, Jessie."

She handed her a box wrapped in shiny red and green wrapping paper. Jessie opened the box to find a heart necklace with gold trim around the heart. She smiled back at Katie with a look on her face that could only be described as glowing.

"But I didn't get you anything."

"You've been with me almost all day. That's enough for now."

They then said goodbye as Grace waited for them outside the hotel. A few hours later, Amy arrived back at the hotel room and found Katie relaxing on the couch with a peaceful look on her face.

"So, I take it things went well?" she asked with a knowing smirk on her face.

"Yeah, what gave it away?" Katie replied with a smirk of her own.

"Well, I guess by that look on your face and that heated lip lock you got before she left."

"You saw that?"

Katie blushed a bright shade of red.

"Everyone in the lobby saw it, sweetie, not to mention a few passing by on the sidewalk."

Katie blushed again and asker her, "So, when do we leave tomorrow?"

"Around 9:00 AM, so make sure those lovesick eyes get some sleep," Amy teased as she walked back to the bedroom.

"Shut up, Amy," Katie said with a chuckle as she tossed a pillow at her before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Christmas Eve and Day went smoothly for Jessie with only her and Grace knowing the source of her true happiness. Their clueless parents, however, thought it was due that Jessie was gradually getting over Katie being gone.


	10. Holiday Fun

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 10. Holiday Fun

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Another original character shows up in this chapter. It's Amy's younger sister, Alicia.

Disclaimer: The only characters I own are Amy Richards and her sister, Alicia. The others belong to the tv show. I don't know if they actually had a name for Katie's dad on the show, so I chose a name for him.

Reviews: Yes, I still want them.

* * *

Los Angeles, CA - New Years Day

Katie awoke to a loud-beeping, alarm clock. She felt around the nightstand right by the bed she was sleeping in. She slammed her hand down hard to shut it off.

"OW, my head hurts. Great, just what I need, another hangover." _So much for not drinking that much ever again. _

"Hey, can you keep it down for a few more minutes? I have a hangover too," another voice said next to Katie. "Besides, what did you expect after drinking that much?"

Katie was startled by the voice enough that she jumped up a little and looked to her left only to find her roommate, Amy, right beside her with her arm over Katie's stomach.

"What? Where am I?" she asked with a confused look on her face.

"Well, for starters you're in my bedroom. Second, you're in bed with me," Amy said half awake as she grabbed the side of her head with her left hand.

"I can see that, but how did I get here?" Katie asked as she tried to remember what happened last night.

"You mean you honestly don't remember?" Amy said in a teasing tone, but a slight trace of hurt could be heard when she answered.

It started coming back to her now. There was drinking, partying, and more drinking with Amy, Amy's sister, and their friends. This led up to the two of them coming in here a few hours later. She lifted up the comforter and bed sheet slowly to find the two of them only in their underwear.

"Uh, how much did we actually do because everything past coming in here is a blur?"

She looked nervously over to her roommate.

"Well, you were kissing me as we were coming back here. We started messing around for a little, and the next thing I know you passed out beside me," she then smirked back at Katie, "I didn't have the energy to wake you up or carry you to the guest bedroom, so I let you sleep here. Besides, it's been a while since I've shared a bed with a beautiful girl, even if she'll only be a friend."

"I'm sorry, Amy. Really, I am. I'm just not ready yet to get into another relationship with anyone."

"It's cool. I understand completely."

As they both got out of bed to look for their clothes, somebody knocked on the door. Amy shouted "Come in." as soon as soon she heard it. Katie didn't even have time to cover up before the person on the other side of the door walked in and shut the door quickly. The girl, who slightly resembled Lacey Chabert, gave Katie a sultry look before laughing.

"Katie, this is my younger sister, Alicia, in case you forgot. Alicia, you remember my roommate, Katie, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Not everyone drank as much as you two did last night. You're a great dancer by the way, Katie."

Alicia handed them both some aspirin and a glass of water, then winked at Katie.

"Thanks, I guess."

Katie then grabbed her clothes and headed for the bathroom.

"Why do you always do that, Alicia?" Amy asked her sister.

"Do what?" her sister asked innocently.

"What you just did to Katie."

"Well, I can't let you have all the fun around here, can I? Don't worry I'll apologize later."

After the girls had gotten cleaned up and eaten a late breakfast, they headed out to have some fun. They decided to show Katie around L.A., Hollywood, and Beverly little free time they had when they were there in November was spent at the beach due to the higher than normal temperature that year. After seeing some of the sites, they decided to stop at a local diner for a short lunch. They had gone on all of the studio tours and checked out every star on the walk of fame.

"So, Katie, are you having fun?" both sisters asked at the same time.

"Yes!" Katie beamed back at them.

"Then why did you seem to space out there for a second on the Walk of Fame? Did you see the name of one of your favorite celebrities?"

"Yeah, I did," Katie said as she stared out the window at nothing in particular.

"Who was it?" they asked watching her as she continued to stare.

"Billie Holiday, she's my favorite singer." Katie paused for a second before she spoke again. "My ex-girlfriend could sing like her, so I nicknamed her Billie."

"Ex-girlfriend?" Alicia asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, you have a problem with that?" Katie growled at her.

Alicia just laughed at her anger.

"Of course not, Amy's bisexual."

Then Amy had two sets of eyes looking at her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Katie looked shocked.

"I thought I had told you, and even if I didn't say it directly it should be obvious. I'm not very good at being subtle. Why do you think I didn't stop you when you started kissing me?"

"Well, I kind of had an idea but wasn't completely sure."

Alicia interrupted them, "I'm surprised you didn't notice her staring at you when we were at the beach during the Thanksgiving break."

"I did notice, but I just thought she was a natural flirt like I am."

"You think the only ones checking you out were the guys?" Alicia continued, which caused her sister to blush a little bit, and even more when Alicia ended it with another question.

"So, is she a good kisser, Amy?"

Katie and Alicia both anticipated the answer.

"The best I've ever known."

They were then confronted by a small group of teenagers who seemed to be star struck at the sight of the sisters.

They smiled at each other and asked the group together, "Can we help you?"

"Would you mind if we could have our pictures taken with you, Jessica and Lacey?"

Katie had a hard time keeping a straight face at the misplaced adoration they were receiving from the group who seemed confused by her reaction.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but we're not Jessica Alba and Lacey Chabert."

They didn't seem to believe them so the girls showed them their ids'. The teenagers then apologized and walked away slowly.

"Do you get that a lot?" she asked while laughing out loud.

"Yeah, we do."

They then busted out laughing with Katie.

Evanston, IL – That same day

Jessie and her family were seated around the tv watching a movie together when suddenly the phone rang. Lily got up to answer it since she was the one closest to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi. This is Robert Singer, Katie's father. We were wondering if anyone there had heard from her lately? She hasn't spoken to us since the beginning of October."

"Hold on a minute." Lily walked into the room with the cordless. Rick saw a confused look on her face, so he hit the pause button on the DVD player.

"What is it, Lily?" he asked as everyone looked at her.

"Mr. Singer is on the phone. He wants to know if any of us have talked to Katie lately. It seems that her parents haven't heard from her in three months."

They looked at Grace and Jessie, who quickly nodded no.

"Sorry, Mr. Singer, none of us have heard from her either."

Lily hung up the phone, and they finished watching the movie.


	11. Revelations

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 11. Revelations

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Since a lot of the Jessie/Katie stories have Jessie becoming a doctor in some way, I figured why break tradition.  
Disclaimer: The only characters I own in this chapter are Amy Richards and Amanda Brown, who will be mentioned but never seen. In this chapter she will only be known as one of the many Katie admirers who became friends with Jessie. The rest belong to the show.

Reviews: Yes, I want them.

* * *

Harvard – The first day after the spring semester finals

Katie and Amy had begun packing everything up for their trips home.

"Well, it was nice rooming with you this year. Are you up for it again next year?"

"I don't think so, Amy. It's nothing personal. Actually, I'm transferring to UCLA, but I'm thinking of maybe taking a year off first."

"Really, that's too bad for Harvard, but not for UCLA. Well, we can still keep in touch since I live in California. Anyway, my sister will be going there next year."

"Really, what's her major going to be there?"

"Medicine, she wants to be a doctor specializing in heart conditions and life threatening diseases."

Katie's face turned pale.

"What's wrong, Katie?"

"Well, you know how I told you I was forced to go here instead of UCLA?"

"Yeah, what's your point?" Amy asked confused.

"Well, that's where Jessie's going after she graduates this year. She's going into medicine too. She's going to become a pediatrician."

"Small world, huh? Does anyone else know you're transferring?"

"Just you, Harvard, UCLA, and the sponsor of the scholarship I managed to get so I won't need my parents help. It's time for me to start trying to be more independent. My parents don't even know yet. I'll keep it a surprise for Jessie as long as I can."

"When are you going to tell them?"

"Probably in a month or so, but they won't know where I'm going for sure. I was able to get the schools to keep it quiet if I wanted them to do that."

"They'll probably figure it out eventually, Katie."

Katie nodded in agreement.

"So, I guess I can assume you told Jessie you'll be at her graduation?"

"I told her I might, but I wasn't promising anything."

Katie gave her a Grinch like smile.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

Once again, Katie nodded in agreement.

After they finished packing and going through all of the other requirements before leaving, they headed out to the airport. There they did the normal goodbye hug and the speech about keeping in touch, even though the last one wasn't necessary.

Evanston, IL – Three days later

Upton Sinclair High School graduation

Jessie had been elected the class valedictorian as expected. She was a nervous wreck over her speech, and the idea of speaking in front of a crowd didn't help any. She also hadn't heard from Katie in over a week, so she didn't know what to think. She eventually calmed down and made her way to the podium. She had looked for Katie on her way up there, but didn't see her. This brought a frown to her face. Right before she started, she noticed somebody waving to her. Katie had been able to make her way in unnoticed by Jessie's entire family, except Grace, who smiled back at both them. Hardly anything got past Grace.

Jessie, of course, gave a very moving speech about the many trials people can experience in their lives and how they handle it decides the type of person they will become. She was brought to tears by the standing ovation from the audience and the "I love you." gesture from Katie.

As Katie made her way to congratulate Jessie on everything, she was surrounded by her legion of admirers. By the time she finally promised to make an appearance at a party or two so she could get past them, Jessie and her family were gone.

Sammler/Manning house

The family had begun celebrating as soon as they got home. As they all were eating dinner, Jessie was subjected to many toasts, hugs from family members, and the traditional embarrassing childhood stories. The topic then switched to what her plans were for the summer.

"So, Jessie, what are your plans for the summer?" Karen asked her only daughter.

"Well, I guess I'll get a summer job and try to have some fun before I have to leave for college."

"Any ideas on what type of job you'll get?" Karen asked again.

"Mom, I just graduated. Let me think about it for a few days," she said with a slightly sarcastic smile on her face, which made everyone laugh.

"I think they're hiring at Starbucks, Jessie," Grace said casually, which was received with a glare and furrowed eyebrows from Jessie. Once again, this got past the clueless parents.

Jessie then got a call on her cell phone. It was a quick and whispered conversation. She had tried to act like it was it nothing and was actually able to pull it off this time

"If the rest of you don't mind, I was just reminded of a party I got invited to earlier this week."

She glanced around the room waiting for their answers.

"Sure, Jessie. Have fun, but be careful out there," Rick warned his daughter.

"Have fun, sweetie," Karen said with a smile and a gentle hug.

"You want to come too, Grace? You could probably use it after a year at Columbia," Jessie asked curiously as she made her way out of the room.

"That sounds like fun. You should go dear. You deserve it after doing so well in your classes," Lily said with pride in her voice.

"Ok, we'll see you around 6:00 AM," Grace said with a laugh.

"Try that again," Lily said sternly.

"Alright then, 1:00 AM," Grace said with a loud sigh.

"2:00 AM, no later," Lily said with a nod of agreement from Rick and Karen.

Grace and Jessie talked about both Columbia and UCLA on the way to the party. The talk helped prepare Jessie for what was to come in the near future.

"So whose party are we going to tonight, Jessie?"

"Amanda Brown's"

Jessie smiled while looking out the passenger window.

"Who's that? I don't recall an Amanda Brown in your class," Grace said with a look of surprise.

"Just one of the many devoted members of the Katie Singer fan club. We actually became friends."

"That's cool, I guess."

Amanda's party – 11:00 PM

Jessie and Grace had been at the party for around an hour. It was a nice party, but it didn't compare to Tad's party last year.

"Hey, Jess, not that I mind, but why did you really want me here tonight? This party isn't exactly booming right now."

Jessie was getting ready to explain when they were interrupted by a round of cheers. She looked over her shoulder, and they both spotted Katie making her way over to the two of them.

"That's why, Grace," Jessie said as she beamed at Katie.

"Hey, Billie!" Katie said quite enthusiastically as she picked Jessie up with ease and spun her around while hugging her.

"Wow, nice to see you too, Katie. I'm glad you could make it tonight."

"Well, Amanda promised you'd be here, so how could I miss it?"

She smiled as Jessie blushed a dark shade of red. Then she looked at Grace with a confused look.

"Grace, what are you doing here? I mean I know why Jessie and I are here, but what about you?"

"Jessie said I should come just in case."

"In case of what?" Katie asked with another confused look.

"In case you drink too much again," Jessie said with a smile as she laid her head on Katie's shoulder. Katie then glared at Grace, who merely shrugged it off with an eye roll.

"You promised not to say anything, Grace."

"She didn't," Jessie interrupted her. "I used to party with you, remember?"

This time it was Katie's turn to blush.

"Come on, Billie, let's dance."

Katie grabbed Jessie's hand and led her to where a crowd had already started dancing.

Two hours later

The party had picked up a lot now that everyone knew where Katie Singer could be found. Katie held Jessie closely in her arms as their foreheads touched each other.

"That was a beautiful speech, Billie. You deserved that standing ovation."

"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without you there."

Jessie let out a peaceful sigh as she rested her head on Katie's shoulder while looking into her glistening, green eyes.

After dancing a little bit, the girls joined Grace for some drinks. Then the three made their way back to the dance floor. Katie was so happy that she ignored Jessie's warning on not to drink too much. By the time the last drink kicked in, Katie was already dancing provocatively with Jessie, who didn't seem to mind. Katie then began kissing Jessie passionately, which caught the attention of everyone. Jessie hadn't drunk as much as her, but let Katie continue anyway.

Grace, who was about three feet away, was shocked at what she was seeing. She had never seen the two girls get like that before. She wondered how far they'd go before one of them stopped, or they left the dance floor in search of a more private location. A few minutes later, she got the answer when Katie started losing what little control she had left. She grabbed Jessie's butt and gave it a good squeeze. This shocked Jessie back to reality, not to mention everyone who had watched without saying a word. She quickly pulled Katie off the floor and into an empty room. Grace followed behind just far enough to not be seen by Jessie and Katie. Katie began to panic and quickly started pacing the room, not even looking at Jessie.

"I'm sorry, Billie. I'm really, REALLY sorry."

She began to feel sick to her stomach and made a dash to the bathroom. Jessie quickly followed her. Katie had made it there just in time. As soon as she raised the toilet seat, she threw up. Jessie walked up beside Katie and held her hair back from her face as she threw up two more times. Katie then sat down with her back against the shower door.

"Th-Thanks," Katie said nervously while looking at Jessie once before looking down at her shoes.

"Katie, look at me," Jessie said as she kneeled down in front of her.

Katie shook her head no.

"Katie, look at me please," she said softly as she gently tilted Katie's chin up with her right hand.

Katie's eyes remained closed.

"Please?"

Katie slowly opened her eyes expecting an upset Jessie, but saw only a look of pure and true love.

"It's ok, Katie. I'm not mad at you."

Jessie smiled as she helped Katie to her feet. As they slowly opened the door, they saw that all eyes were on them. Jessie gave Grace a look that clearly said "Help.".

"OK, show's over people!" Grace shouted as she helped Jessie walk Katie out to their car.

"Aren't you glad I invited Grace now, Katie?"

Katie nodded yes before she passed out in the backseat of Grace's car. Grace and Jessie smiled at each other as they got in and headed home.


	12. Together Or Not

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 12. Together Or Not

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Jessie and Katie have a talk about the current status of their relationship.

Disclaimer: I realized before I wrote this chapter that I had only mentioned one brother in previous chapters when it was indicated on the show there were more than one. So I chose a name for a second brother who will be mentioned in this chapter briefly. The remaining characters belong to the show.

Reviews: Of course, I want them.

* * *

Sammler/Manning house – The next morning

Sunlight began streaming through the partially closed blinds covering Jessie's attic bedroom window. Jessie's back was to the window, so it didn't wake her. Katie, however, wasn't as lucky. She slowly opened her eyes to see where she was, but had to quickly close them again. In the brief time she had them open she didn't recognize where she was.

_Great, where am I this time?_ She tried opening them again but had to close them almost as quickly as she did the first time. From what she could tell, she wasn't in her own room. She felt someone moving beside her, but the person wasn't making any type of sound. She tried sitting up, but it was useless. Whoever was beside her was holding her down by the grip around her waist. Then she began to feel the recognizable pains of a hangover.

"OW, my head," Katie yelped, only to find a hand cover her mouth.

It was a hand too delicate to be her own. She looked in the direction the hand came from and found herself looking into the beautiful, blue eyes of Jessie Sammler.

"You need to be quiet, Katie. Dad and Lily don't know you spent the night over here and would freak if they found out."

Jessie gave her a look of both fear and happiness.

"You look so cute when you look both scared and happy at the same time. What am I doing here, and not in my own bed?"

Katie winked at her.

"Well, Grace and I drove you home, but you must have left your house without your keys. We had to bring you here because we didn't want to wake up your parents or brothers," Jessie then got up out of bed slowly, "I'm going to check to see if the coast is clear so you need to be quiet."

She then put one finger in front of her mouth for the "Be Quiet." gesture.

Jessie slowly made her way downstairs to see if anyone else was up. Unfortunately, the entire family was up. She was about to make her way back upstairs when she heard both her dad and Lily ask her some questions.

"Good morning, Jessie. How was the party?" Rick asked between sips of his coffee.

"What time did you and Grace get home this morning?" asked Lily as she let out a yawn.

"A little bit before curfew, would you say so, Grace?"

She gave then her a pleading look.

"Yeah, that's right," Grace answered; almost immediately knowing from Jessie's look that Katie was still upstairs.

She didn't see any marks on Jessie's neck, so she figured that meant Katie was still sleeping.

"What are everyone's plans for today?" Jessie asked a little nervously.

"Well, your father and I need to do some grocery shopping," Lily said with another yawn.

"I have to go to work in an hour," Eli mumbled.

"I'm going over to my dad's. Grace, could you drive me over there?"

"Sure, Zoe. What about you, Jessie?" Grace asked with a smirk on her face.

"I don't know, either look for a summer job or go to a movie. Well, I need to get cleaned up. I will talk to all of you later."

"Ok," they replied in unison.

Jessie made her way up the stairs not sure what Katie would be doing at the moment. She found her just quietly sitting on the bed with a smile on her face, which seemed to grow the closer she got.

"Did you sleep well, and what are you smiling at?"

"Yeah, I did. At least I'm fully clothed this time. You look cute in your pajamas. Thanks for letting me borrow some, even though I don't remember changing into them."

She then winked at Jessie.

"That's good. Thanks, by the way. I had to help you change. You were kind of passed out," Jessie blushed then realized something, "What did you mean by at least you were fully clothed this time?"

"Long story, so what happened last night? The last thing I remember is going back to the dance floor after having some drinks." She watched as Jessie's eyes began to bug out. "What? What did I do?" Katie asked confused.

"You mean you don't remember?" Jessie asked a little hurt. Katie recognized that look.

_Oh no._ "What did happen?" she asked again.

Jessie slowly described everything from the moment they stepped back onto the dance floor up to where Katie passed out in the back of the car. Katie turned pale more and more by the moment as Jessie continued. When she got up to the point where Katie lost control, Katie covered her mouth with her hands. Rendered speechless, she turned her head and looked out the window.

"Katie, as I told you before, it's ok. I'm not mad," Jessie said as Katie slowly turned around to face her, "You're going to have to stay up here until I can sneak you out when everyone is gone. I need to take a shower, so I'll be back in a bit. They should all be gone soon."

Jessie then made her way to the bathroom.

15 – 20 minutes later

Jessie found Katie sitting on her bed her face red as could be while Grace was sitting at her desk with an evil smile on her face.

"What's going on here?" she asked looking at both of them.

"You want to tell her, Katie, or should I?"

"Tell me what?" Jessie began getting impatient.

Katie refused to say anything so Grace spoke up.

"I came up here to check on you two and accidentally caught Katie changing back into her clothes."

"How much did you see?" Jessie asked as nervously as Katie looked at that moment.

"Just as much as you have apparently. I knocked, but she must not have heard me."

"Is that all you wanted, Grace, to check up on us?"

"That and to tell you that besides Zoe, who's waiting in the car, everyone else is gone."

"Goodbye. Oh, and Katie, I'm sorry by the way."

"It's ok, Grace. Don't mention it. PLEASE don't mention it," Katie said as Grace made her way downstairs.

Jessie and Katie stood looking at each other for a moment before Katie motioned for her to sit down beside her. Both sat there in silence for another minute before Jessie began to speak.

"I think it's time we had another talk about us, Katie."

"Yeah, I think we need to talk, too. What about us?"

"Was everything that happened last night due to alcohol, or were you wanting to get back to being a couple again?" Jessie asked patiently.

"Well, the part before the drinking was because I missed you. I guess you could say that the other part was due to a combination of alcohol, and that I might want to try being a couple again. What about you?"

"I missed you too, but as for being a couple again, I'm not sure," Jessie saw a sad look begin to show on Katie's face, "It's not that I don't want to, but when we go to college this fall it will be hard with you at Harvard and me at UCLA. So now let's be friends like we were before. Then we can see what happens in the future."

Katie was sad when she heard what Jessie said about being a couple again. When she mentioned Harvard, Katie perked up a little, but Jessie missed it because she had her back to her as she was getting up from the bed.

"What are you plans for today, Jessie?"

"First, you're going to help me make my bed since I didn't sleep alone. Second, I plan on looking for a summer job. And finally, I plan on going to a movie. You're welcome to join me if you want."

"Just the movie or both?" she asked as she helped make the bed.

"Both of them actually."

"Ok, I think I can put in a good word for you at Starbucks since I plan on working there again. That gives us more time for the movie and a late lunch."

"Let's go then," Jessie said as they made there way downstairs and out the front door.

The girls then made a stop over at Katie's house so Katie could get cleaned up before they went anyplace else.

A half an hour later

"See, I told you I could get you a job there."

Katie grinned triumphantly.

"Thanks, it's just a shame we couldn't work the same shifts. At least we both got the weekends off."

Katie was able to get the same hours she got last summer, but Jessie was only able to get the night shift three nights a week. The girls then went to the movies. Since they couldn't agree on a movie, Jessie let Katie pick the movie. She hoped Katie wouldn't pick the scary one, but of course it was the one she chose anyway. Jessie frowned at her.

"Oh, come on, Jessie. Don't tell me you still get scared at these movies?"

Katie began to laugh, knowing Jessie would be scared, but couldn't resist seeing her squirm.

"Ok, but if I get scared you pay for my lunch."

"Sure, it's a small price to pay to see that."

The movie had scared Jessie pretty bad. It was so bad that at every scary moment she would jump and get closer to Katie. By the time the movie was half over; Jessie had buried her head in Katie's shoulder and stayed there until the end of the movie.

"Ok, so I was scared. Are you happy now?" Jessie glared at Katie.

"Tremendously," Katie laughed as they made their way to Katie's car, "So where would you like me to take you for lunch? Applebee's, TGI Friday's, Ruby Tuesday's?" Katie paused for a second then winked at he,. "Or maybe Hooters?"

Jessie turned bright red at the last suggestion.

"One time, and you're never going to let me forget it, are you?" Jessie asked with slight anger in her voice.

"Not a chance, Billie."

"Applebee's will be fine with me."

Jessie and Katie both had a great time at the restaurant. The food was delicious, and the conversation went well. They made plans to spend some time together during the summer. Katie told her what to expect next fall at college. Jessie laughed, then groaned, and finally laughed again while Katie talked some more about it. Then something Jessie said earlier popped in her head.

"Jessie, why did you say brothers when you said you didn't want to wake anyone up before we got back from the party?"

"Well, you have two brothers, right?"

Katie nodded yes.

"I guess you didn't hear since you were in Australia, but Ryan got in a fight with my parents and moved out of state. Last time any of us heard from him he was in Hawaii working at one of the resorts. He said he might be able to get me a deal on a room if I knew anyone that I wanted to bring with me."

"That's really nice of him. Sometime we'll have to take him up on his offer."

"Definitely," Katie said with a sultry look that made Jessie feel like she had butterflies in her stomach.


	13. Is It Fall Already

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 13. Is It Fall Already?

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Jessie starts her freshmen year at UCLA while Katie secretly starts her sophomore year.

Disclaimer: Alicia Richards appears again in this chapter and probably the following chapter too. The rest belong to the show.

Reviews: Do I really need to ask this again?

* * *

UCLA – freshman dorms

Jessie entered what would be her dorm room for the year and began to slowly unpack. Her roommate had already gotten there and was almost finished when she spotted her. Then she gave Jessie a huge smile. This made Jessie nervous, but she decided she was overreacting because the girl was probably just trying to be nice before they introduced themselves.

"Hi, I'm Jessie Sammler. It's nice to meet you."

Jessie returned an equally big smile.

"Alicia Richards, It's nice to meet you, too." _It figures she would be my roommate. _Alicia thought with a smirk on her face_._

"What's with that look? Did I do something wrong?" Jessie asked confused and nervous while still unpacking everything.

"It's nothing really. I took the bed by the window if that's ok with you?"

"Sure, no problem."

Jessie began to relax as she sat her alarm clock and a few pictures on the night stand by her bed. Alicia made her way over to Jessie and glanced at the pictures just to make sure her assumptions were correct.

"If you don't mind my asking, are all of those people relatives of yours?"

"Well, the big picture is of my entire family, including my stepsisters and stepmom. The other one is my friend and ex-girlfriend Katie Singer."

"Ex-girlfriend?" she asked curiously; only to be met by the same response that she got from Katie.

"Yeah, you have a problem with that?"

"No problem here. My sister's bisexual."

"Sorry about that. I mean about getting angry with you."

"I understand completely. I had to help defend my sister a few times."

Jessie then began staring at Alicia, who knew what was making Jessie stare at her.

"You know who you look like, don't you?" Jessie asked as she smiled then laughed a little.

"Yeah, I know. People confuse me with Lacey Chabert a lot. It's the same way with my sister, but she looks like Jessica Alba. Her name's Amy, by the way."

"That's a nice name."

Jessie and Alicia began talking a little more to get to know each other better. They both came from nice families. They smiled at each other when they found out they were both studying medicine. Then it got more interesting when Alicia started talking about her sister a little bit more.

"My sister's in her second year at Harvard. She's studying to become a lawyer."

Jessie began to look sad when Alicia mentioned Harvard.

"What's the matter, Jessie?" she asked concerned; even though she already knew the answer.

"It's nothing really," Jessie began to sigh, "Well, to be honest that's where Katie's going to school."

"It's a small world, huh?"

"Yes, it is," Jessie had a feeling what her roommate was going to do next by the look on her face, "I'm warning you now. Don't even think of singing that song."

"OK, you won't hear it from me. It's one of the most annoying songs ever."

"You up for a run to Starbucks? I saw one on my way here, my treat of course," Jessie said eagerly.

"Sure."

She could see what Katie saw in Jessie. As they reached their destination, Alicia's cell phone began to ring.

"Excuse me for a second," Alicia spoke into the phone then turned to Jessie, "Hey, Jessie, since you said it's your treat, how about you get the drinks while I look for a table."

"OK," she said hesitantly as she went to place their order.

Jessie glanced back once or twice and caught Alicia staring at her before looking back at her phone and occasionally laughing. This began to anger an already self-conscious Jessie. She would find out what her roommate was saying about her when she finished the call.

10 minutes later

"So what were you saying about me to whoever you were talking to on the phone?"

"Huh?" Alicia asked with confusion.

"I saw you looking at me a few times while on the phone, and then I saw you laugh," Jessie replied while crossing her arms in front of her and rested them on her chest.

"Oh, that," she said slowly while trying to think of a believable excuse, "I was just telling my sister how beautiful my roommate is."

Then she winked at Jessie, who seems to buy the lie she told.

"Sorry, I just get a little defensive sometimes when it comes to my appearance."

"No need to apologize. You are beautiful to me. From a heterosexual friend to a gay friend type of way that is."

"Thanks. You're cute, too, by the way," Jessie answered shyly before looking away.

"Good to know, but if I was gay you'd be my type."

"Oh yeah, and what type is that?"

"A beautiful and innocent looking blonde with blue eyes and an angelic smile."

Two weeks later

Jessie was coming out of the same Starbucks that she and Alicia had gone to the first day they met. It became almost a part of her daily routine to stop there between classes. Suddenly, her eyes were covered by soft hands and a voiced whispered into her ear, which caused a slight chill down her spine.

"Hi, Billie!"

After Jessie could see again, she quickly spun around to see the only girl who could make her heart feel like it could burst out of her chest.

"Katie, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at Harvard?"

"It's good to see you too, Jessie," she said sarcastically before laughing.

"Oh, Katie, I'm sorry. I'm just surprised."

Jessie began to smile as she hugged Katie.

"Yeah, that was kind of the point."

Katie hugged her back.

"What do you mean? How long has it been since you've known?"

"Since the end of the last school year."

"That long?"

Katie nodded yes.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I couldn't be surprising you at this moment if I had."

"How did you manage it? I thought your parents were pretty adamant about your going to Harvard."

"Well, halfway through the year I applied for a scholarship so I wouldn't need their help. I found out when I got back from Spring Break that I had gotten the scholarship. So I transferred here."

"When did you tell your parents? I'm sure they were very upset."

"I told them a month after I got home. Yeah, they were extremely upset. They will just have to accept that they can no longer have control over their kids."

All of a sudden Jessie grabbed Katie's hand and started dragging her towards her dorm.

"Whoa, where's the fire? What's the rush, Jessie?"

"We're going back to my dorm room. I have to introduce you to my roommate since we seem to have a few things in common."

"More than you know," Katie said before she realized she had said it too loud.

"What?" Jessie asked confused as she looked back over her shoulder at Katie.

"Nothing," Katie mumbled as Jessie let go of her hand and walked quickly to their destination.


	14. Reunions

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 14. Reunions

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Jessie and Katie get back together. Since Katie never defended herself in the way I thought she should have in the other stories I read, I decided to make her reaction a little different in mine.

Disclaimer: I only own Alicia Richards. The others belong to the show.

Reviews: I wouldn't ask if I didn't want them.

* * *

UCLA- Jessie and Alicia's dorm room

Jessie and Katie had finally reached the dorm room. They took a few minutes before they entered. Jessie didn't want her roommate to get the wrong idea if she saw them come in out of breath. When they opened the door, they found Alicia sitting on her bed reading one of her textbooks. She glanced up to see Jessie and Katie standing together hand in hand. She gave them one of the biggest smiles she'd ever given either of them. Jessie was the only one not aware of the true reason behind the smile.

Jessie politely introduced each other. "Katie, this is my roommate, Alicia Richards. Alicia Richards, my friend, Katie Singer."

Katie smiled back at her and stepped forward to shake her hand as Jessie let go of her other hand. Alicia shook her hand in return. When she couldn't hold it in anymore, Alicia began talking.

"Long time, no see, Katie."

"Right back at you, Alicia."

Then they both burst out in a fit of laughter.

"What?" Jessie asked both them with a puzzled look. "How do you know each other?"

Both girls looked at each other before Alicia began to explain.

"Jessie, remember when I mentioned how my sister was in her sophomore year at Harvard?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Jessie asked as she began to look back and forth between her and Katie.

"Well, Katie was Amy's roommate her freshman year."

"So, that's the reason for the way you looked at me when we first met and when we were at Starbucks?"

"Yes. They became pretty close friends while Katie was there. She even spent the holidays with us in California and Spring Break in Mexico." She then got a slightly evil look in her eyes before she spoke again. Katie knew what she was about to say so she gave her a pleading look that clearly said "Please don't!", but it didn't stop her. "They got particularly close on New Year's Eve. Well, I guess I'll leave you alone so you can talk in private. I have another class in half an hour anyway." As she was leaving, she stopped to ask one more question. "So does this mean you're a couple again?"

Katie and Jessie looked at each other briefly and then replied together with goofy looks on their faces, "Yes, I guess so."

Jessie and Katie lay down on Jessie's bed. Jessie didn't want to ruin the moment, but since Alicia brought up New Years Eve something had been bugging her.

"Katie, what did Alicia mean when she said you and her sister, Amy, got particularly close on New Years Eve?"

She prepared for the worst.

"Uh, well, remember what we talked about in your room the day after your graduation?"

Jessie nodded nervously.

"Well, when I said there was one time I woke up in the morning not completely dressed it was when I spent New Years with Amy, Alicia, and their friends."

"Go on," Jessie said as she got more and more nervous.

"Well, Amy and I got a little drunk. When I awoke the next morning, I found the two of us in her bed together."

She began to look away from Jessie, which was the sign there was more to the story, but Katie had stopped talking. Jessie was afraid of what she'd hear, but she had to know.

"And?" Jessie asked slowly.

"We were only in our underwear."

She quickly looked away again.

"Oh, so did she say what happened?"

Katie told her everything that Amy had told her. Jessie was upset even though she didn't have a right to be since they weren't together at the time. Jessie began to cry.

"Jessie, I'm so sorry. I promise if I had had been sober or at least a little less drunk it wouldn't have happened. You know how I get when I'm drunk."

Katie smiled at her and Jessie quit crying.

"So are we ok now?"

"Yes, Katie, we're ok now."

They had begun one of their many staring contests when Katie interrupted it with a question.

"Billie, would you sing to me?"

"Sure. What would you like me to sing?"

"You know what song I want to hear."

"Yeah, just checking."

Jessie began singing "God Bless The Child", and by the time she had finished the song Katie was fast asleep with her head on Jessie's shoulder. Jessie gently ran her fingers through Katie's hair until she fell asleep as well.

December 19th

Things were going well for Jessie, Katie, and Alicia. All three were doing very well in all of their classes. They met each other almost everyday at the nearby Starbucks around 1:00 PM. When Jessie and Katie wanted to be alone, Alicia had no problem finding another place to hang out or crash if Katie ended up staying the night. They would have probably spent time alone at Katie's dorm room, but her roommate made it impossible. Katie's roommate was barely even civil to her on a good day.

"So, Jessie, is Katie going home with you for the holidays?"

"That was the plan, as far as I know anyways."

"Then her parents have eased up a little on her?"

"Yes, but it's still tense just like it was last year. So she'll probably be spending most of the time with me."

"Do your parents know that you're back together?"

"No, we were going to tell them when we got there."

"Well, let me know how it went when you get back."

"Definitely."

The next three days were spent preparing for and taking their semester finals.

The flight home was booked a month in advance so all that was left was to head home.

"So, do you know what time you'll be getting into Chicago, Jessie?" her stepsister asked.

"Yes, we will be getting in around 4:00 PM."

"We? Who's the other person that makes it a we instead of I?"

"You'll just have to wait and see for yourself."

"Well, I'll be getting in around 4:30, so just wait for me and we can go home together."

Chicago, IL - December 23rd

O'Hare airport

Grace, Jessie, and Katie found that both flights had been long and tiresome. They had slept part of the way, but they were still tired. So they made a pit stop on the way home for a caffeine fix.

Evanston, IL - Around 6:00 PM

"Rick, they're home!" Lily announced as Grace and Jessie walked through the door.

Everyone in the house anxiously waited for them in the family room. The excitement died when they saw Katie Singer walk in behind Jessie.

"So, uh, you must be hungry after your flights," Lily stated with a little apprehension in her voice.

"We're starving actually. The food on the flights was horrible," Grace said as rumbling could be heard from the stomachs of all three girls.

"We couldn't even stand to look at what they tried to serve us," Jessie said sadly. "Can Katie stay for dinner?"

The whole room was silent for a minute.

"If it's too much trouble, I can find something to eat at home," Katie said while looking towards the front door.

"No, Katie, you can stay," Rick said calmly after looking at Lily for her reaction.

"You're welcome to stay too, Karen," Lily said trying to relieve the tension that was slowly building.

The dinner conversation had been light, but not without the tense moments. Then it reached the boiling point when the next question was directed towards Jessie and Katie.

"So, Katie, are you seeing anyone?" Karen asked her.

"As a matter of a fact, I have started seeing someone recently. She's a really wonderful girl. Her name's Billie."

Grace suddenly looked up from her plate and almost choked on what she was eating. She gulped it down with some water.

"Are you ok, dear?" Lily asked worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She then looked directly at both Jessie and Katie.

"What about you, Jessie?" Rick asked as he took a gulp from his glass of water.

"Well, Dad, Mom, Lily, I am seeing someone." She started to become scared as she continued, "I'm dating Katie. We met up again at UCLA. We became a couple a few weeks after school started."

"NO, Jessie!" Karen yelled, "She's just going to hurt you again."

She then looked at Rick and Lily to see if they would agree with her.

Lily remained silent while Rick spoke up, "Your mom is right, Jessie," Rick then turned to Katie, "Katie Singer, I want you out of our house NOW!"

Jessie tried to calm her parents down while Grace, Eli, and Zoe looked on in shock. Katie shocked them all when she unleashed the anger she had been holding in for over two years.

"How DARE you speak to me in that way. She hurt me as much as I hurt her. We're not the ONLY ones to blame either," Katie snarled at Karen and Rick.

"What do you mean by that, Katie?" Karen and Rick asked together.

"WHAT do I mean? Oh, MAYBE it's due to my parents who FORCED me to go to Harvard. I came to you for help, REMEMBER? I couldn't get my parents to change their minds. I couldn't get any financial help because of how much money they make. I remained civil towards ALL of you when the most you showed me was contempt, excluding Grace and Jessie of course. I started avoiding my parents about a month after I got there, in case you didn't already know that." She then focused her attention to both Rick and Lily. "You know that great dinner you all had the night you got back from Australia?"

"Yes," Rick, Lily, Eli, and Zoe said at the same time.

"Well, Grace didn't cook that meal, I DID! No offense to your daughter, Lily, but she's a better writer than a cook." Finally, she turned to Jessie. "Sorry, Jessie, but I need to get some fresh air. I'll call you in an hour."

She gave her a kiss on the cheek and quickly made her way out the door.

Jessie began to argue with her parents while the others watched barely able to move. The fight had lasted only a few minutes before it was interrupted by a loud combination of noises. They consisted of screeching tires, breaking glass, something rolling over and over, and finally, a loud boom. Then there was silence. Jessie turned as pale as a ghost and rushed out the door with her family close behind.


	15. Come Back To Me

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 15. Come Back To Me

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Katie ends up at the hospital, but will she survive? Since there seems to be a slight difference on what the lyrics are to "I'll Fly Away", I will go along with the longer version of the one Jessie sang on the show.

Disclaimer: I own nobody in this chapter.

Reviews: You already know the answer to that.

* * *

Two blocks away from the Sammler/Manning house

It had only taken a few minutes to get to the scene of the accident. When they got there, an ambulance was already there. What they saw horrified them. A stranger's car was atop a stop sign with most of the front end smashed. They watched as a man was slowly pulled out, laid down, and quickly placed in a body bag. Then they looked over in the direction of Katie's car. It was in worse condition. It was leaning up against a light pole with most of the driver's side facing the street. The passenger side door was completely smashed in. Jessie fell down to her knees and let out a scream. Grace and Karen each rushed to her side.

"OH NO! KATIE!"

She then broke down in tears, almost becoming hysterical. The rest of the family could only watch as Katie was removed from the car with the help of the "jaws of life". She was quickly put in an ambulance and rushed to the hospital.

The hospital – an hour later

Everyone was sitting patiently in the waiting room while Jessie quietly sobbed on her mom's shoulder. Jessie sat up quickly when they saw a doctor walking slowly towards them. _Oh, God, please let her be alright._

Jessie stood up as she asked the question, "How is she?"

"Miss Singer broke her left forearm and right leg. She also required a few stitches on her forehead and is currently in a coma. We won't know the full extent of her injuries until she wakes up."

Karen caught her daughter as Jessie was about to faint.

"Can we see her?" Karen asked gently.

"A few of you can see her for about five minutes. Then you will all have to leave because visiting hours are almost up."

The doctor walked Jessie and Karen to Katie's room before heading back in the original direction he came from. Jessie couldn't even say a word as she stood looking at Katie, who was lying there with a somewhat peaceful look on her face. The casts on her arm and leg were clearly visible to anyone who came into the room.

"She'll be ok, Jessie."

"I know, Mom," Jessie said as they slowly left the room.

The hospital – December 26th

It had been almost three days, and Katie was still in a coma. The only time Jessie went home was to get cleaned up and change clothes. She stayed by Katie's beside almost the entire time. Sometimes a family member sat beside her for an hour or two before heading back to the waiting room. Nobody expected they would ever have to spend Christmas at a hospital, but yet there they were offering Jessie all the support they could give her. Grace and Jessie were currently by Katie's side.

"Grace, it's been almost three days and she still hasn't woken up. What am I going to do if she never wakes up? I've tried everything and get nothing."

"Try singing to her again, Jessie," Grace said softly.

"I tried that already. I sang her favorite song to her, and she still lays there not making a sound or moving."

"Well, try singing that song you sang during the play auditions awhile back. After all, wasn't that what drew Katie to you in the first place?"

"You're right, Grace."

Jessie then began to sing "I'll Fly Away".

_Some glad morning when this life is over_

_I'll fly away_

_To a home on God's celestial shore_

_I'll fly away_

_I'll fly away, Oh Glory_

_I'll fly away (in the morning)_

_When I die, Hallelujah, by and by_

_I'll fly away_

_When the shadows of this life have gone_

_I'll fly away_

_Like a bird from these prison walls I'll fly_

_I'll fly away_

_I'll fly away, Oh Glory_

_I'll fly away (in the morning)_

_When I die, Hallelujah, by and by_

_I'll fly away_

_Oh how glad and happy when we meet_

_No more cold shackles on my feet_

_I'll fly away, Oh Glory_

_I'll fly away (in the morning)_

_When I die, Hallelujah, by and by_

_I'll fly away_

_Just a few weary days and then_

_I'll fly away_

_To a land where joy shall never end_

_I'll fly away, Oh Glory_

_I'll fly away (in the morning)_

_When I die, Hallelujah, by and by_

_I'll fly away_

Jessie had sung with all of the love and passion that she had in her heart. She was so focused on Katie that she didn't notice Grace had left her side. Grace had quietly opened the door to the room. She wanted everyone to see and hear Jessie sing to Katie. Halfway through the song, Katie began to move her hands, which were resting softly in Jessie's. She slowly opened her eyes to see tears running down Jessie's cheek, which made her start to cry as well.

"You woke up," Jessie said happily as tears continued to roll down her cheeks.

"What happened?" Katie asked; once again not sure where she was.

"You got into an accident. You were in a coma for almost three days. You'll be ok now."

"I'll be the judge of that."

Katie and Jessie turned their heads to see an audience had formed in the room. They saw Jessie's entire family, almost everyone in Katie's, not to mention a few doctors and nurses. All the women had tears in their eyes while all of the men had smiles on their faces.

"How long have you all been standing there?" they asked together.

"Pretty much the entire time," Rick replied.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

The same doctor who had spoke earlier, spoke again, "If you all would leave the room now, the other doctor, the nurses, and I will see if everything is ok with Miss Singer."

With that, everyone else left the room. The next day, both families gathered again, this time at the Sammler/Manning house to celebrate a late Christmas. The day ended with a delicious dinner where toasts were made and apologies were also made and accepted warmly.


	16. Moving Forward With A Bang

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 16. Moving Forward With A Bang

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Jessie and Katie prepare a Christmas surprise, only to be involved in a surprise from someone else that they didn't see coming.

Disclaimer: I own Elizabeth Walker. The rest belong to the show. Oh yeah, I finally picked out a name for Katie's mother too.

Reviews: Of course I want them.

* * *

Los Angeles, CA – Eight years later

It was hard, but Jessie and Katie had made it through medical and law school. Katie was a lawyer in an up-and-coming law firm while Jessie was working as a pediatrician at one of the biggest hospitals in Los Angeles. They had gotten engaged during Katie's final year of law school, and married the summer after Jessie graduated medical school. They had a rough time now and then like most couples, but they helped each other through it. At the end of those trying days, they would think back to everything they had been through together and then the happiest day of their lives together.

Flashback – A year and a half ago

"Do you, Katie, take Jessie to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to honor, cherish, and love her in good times and in bad for the rest of your lives?"

"I do, with all of the love in my heart," Katie answered as she held back tears and tried not to break down in front of their guests.

"And do you, Jessie, take Katie to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to honor, cherish, and love her in good times and bad for the rest of your lives?"

Jessie choked back tears as she also tried not to break down.

"I do. I always have and I always will."

"May I now present to you Mrs. Jessie and Katie Sammler."

A loud applause was then heard soon followed by many hugs.

Back to the present

Jessie and Katie were living in a nice three bedroom house in one of the safest suburbs of Los Angeles. Thanks to a group Christmas present from the previous year and all of their hard work, Katie and Jessie had made a down payment on what they considered their dream home. It wasn't anything too fancy, but they didn't care. It was all they needed and/or wanted.

December 22nd

"Jessie, what time do they all get in again?"

"For the second time, Katie, they all get in tomorrow around 5:00 PM," Jessie said slightly irked by the same question asked that morning but still managed to smile lovingly at her.

"I'm sorry, Jessie. I'm just nervous because it's our first family Christmas in our new home. I just want everything to be perfect."

"I know you do. Just don't worry about it. Besides, you wouldn't want your pregnant wife to stress out, would you?"

"Of course not. How do you think everyone will react to the news?"

"I'm sure they will just as happy as we will be soon."

They then gave each other a tight hug. Jessie pushed Katie back a little, which puzzled her.

"Why did you do that?" Katie asked her.

"Take it easy on the baby, ok."

Katie smiled then spoke to Jessie's belly, "Sorry about that."

This made Jessie let out a small giggle. Meanwhile over in Australia, something very bad was happening.

Sydney, Australia - a mental institution - Same day

"Code Red, one of our most dangerous patients has escaped and has been missing for at least an hour."

The message blared through each speaker in the building.

"Which patient was it? And do you know where they were heading?" a fairly new employee asked the head nurse.

"Elizabeth Walker, she's most likely on her way to the airport to hop on a plane headed towards the United States."

At hearing the name Elizabeth Walker, the employee went pale. He hadn't been there long but had seen some of the damage she was capable of doing.

Los Angeles, CA – The next day around 4:30 PM

Jessie was just arriving home from a slightly long day, but she was still in high spirits. Katie and their families were going to be there in about an hour. So she was going to get cleaned up and then start cooking the special meal they had planned. She began to unlock the front door, so she didn't notice the stranger sneak up behind her. Suddenly a pair of hands covered her eyes, and she heard a slightly familiar voice.

"Hello, Jessie."

_Oh no, it can't be._

Jessie turned pale as her shoulders were then grabbed firmly and was spun around slowly.

"Long time no see, beautiful."

Jessie frowned as she spoke to the one person she thought might have at one time been able to make her forget Katie.

"What are you doing here, Elizabeth? How did you find me?" she shouted as she started to become angry.

"It's quite simple actually. I remembered where you said you planned on going to college before you dumped me. After that, all that was required was a search through a phonebook." She gave Jessie an evil smile, then continued talking to her, "NOW it's payback time!"

"Didn't you learn the first time? What makes you think this time will be any different?"

Elizabeth smiled again as she pulled out a shiny, silver and black, 45 Magnum

"This says so."

She then forced Jessie into the house with a hand tightly over her mouth and the gun pressed into her back. A next door neighbor witnessed the whole thing and called the police. While the call was being made, Katie arrived home early since the paperwork she had to do didn't take as long as originally planned. Katie thought as she pulled into the driveway. _That's strange. Jessie's home, but all of the lights are off._ Katie made her way to the door but didn't hear their neighbor calling out her name. Inside the house both Jessie and Elizabeth had heard Katie's car pull into the driveway.

"Don't SAY a word, or you both will be dead by the time the cops get here, and I'll be gone."

"Jessie, where are you?" Katie asked while turning on the lights, "Oh, there you are. What were you doing with the lights off?"

She saw fear on Jessie's face.

"Jessie, what is it? What's wrong?"

Jessie just pointed her finger just over Katie's shoulder. Katie turned around only to see a brunette waving a gun in her face. Then the girl spoke.

"You must be the famous Katie Singer," Elizabeth said with a smirk.

"Actually, my name's Katie SAMMLER," Katie said with a smirk of her own.

"Nice to meet you, mine's Elizabeth Walker."

She looked at Jessie as her anger started to build at hearing Katie say Sammler and not Singer. Then she spotted the rings on their fingers.

"And why should I care what your name is?" Katie responded sarcastically.

"Well, I thought you would like to know the name of the person who is going to kill you."

"Elizabeth, please don't do this. I love her," Jessie said in a panicked voice.

"Well, I love you, but we can't always get what we want, CAN WE?"

Suddenly, police sirens and a voice through a megaphone were heard loud and clear.

"Elizabeth Walker, come out with your hands up. The house is surrounded."

"I DON'T think so. I have two hostages. One of them is going to die, and if you don't back off soon, they will both die."

LAX – Half an hour later

Katie and Jessie's family were making their way to baggage claim when they were distracted by a news broadcast on the tvs throughout the airport.

"We are coming to you live from 1000 Palm St. where two women are being held hostage by an escaped mental patient. They have been held hostage for half an hour now. More details as they come in."

"OH MY GOD!" Grace exclaimed. "Karen, Rick, isn't that Jessie and Katie's house?"

They took a look at the house being shown on the screen.

"You're right."

They quickly grabbed their bags and hopped in the shuttle service minivans that Katie and Jessie had waiting for them. The Sammlers/Mannings got in the first one and the Singers in the second one. Then they both sped off towards Jessie and Katie's house

Another half an hour later – outside Katie and Jessie's house

"Excuse me?" Rick called out to a nearby cop.

"Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, we heard on the news that two women are being held hostage by an escaped mental patient inside this house."

"Yes, there are. May I ask who's speaking?"

"I'm Rick Sammler. Our daughters live in that house."

"Well, Mr. Sammler, as far as we know a Miss Elizabeth Walker is holding your daughters hostage. She hasn't made any demands yet, so we're at a standstill."

Just then everyone heard a disturbing combination of sounds. They were a sound of a loud struggle, Jessie screaming, and two shots fired. Then there was silence. At the sound of the gunfire, Karen and Lily fainted and fell back into the arms of Rick and Eli Sammler. While Grace, Zoe, and Katie's mother, Carrie Singer, broke into tears, Robert Singer and his two sons, Ryan and Christopher, stood there in shock. Everyone waited anxiously to see what would happen next.


	17. All We Want Or Need

I Will Always Love You

Chapter 17. All We Want Or Need

Author: j_rock873

Rating: PG-13

Summary: This is the final chapter.

Disclaimer: I own Elizabeth Walker, Amy and Alicia Richards, their parents David and Emily Richards, and two more characters whose names will be revealed somewhere between the middle and end of the chapter. The rest belong to the show.

Reviews: One last time, yes, I want them.

* * *

Los Angeles, CA – Outside Jessie and Katie's house

It seemed like an eternity since the silence started, but it really had only been a few minutes. Their families began getting impatient while the cops debated their next move.

"Well, just don't STAND there and do nothing," Jessie and Katie's parents yelled at the cops.

"Please be patient. We're not sure how many of them are still alive in there."

Their heated conversation was interrupted when Karen Sammler's cell phone began to ring.

"Karen, are you there?" Katie spoke calmly into the phone.

"Yes, Katie, we're all here. How is everything going in there?" she asked with the nervous tone that came up in times like these.

"Everything is fine now. You can bring all of them inside."

"Thank you," she then ended the call and turned towards the family and cops beside her, "Katie said it's safe for all of us to come in now."

Everyone walked quickly through the front door and found Katie and Jessie sitting on a couch and a bullet hole in the wall behind them. Jessie's head was resting on Katie's left shoulder. The gun was next to Katie on her right side. Then they looked to Elizabeth; who was lying dead on the floor with a bullet hole in her chest. As soon as Karen and Carrie reached their daughters, they were caught up in a tight hug while a few tears fell onto their shoulders.

Christmas Day

Despite the situation from two days ago, everything was fine. They were all happy as they sat down for a delicious dinner prepared by Katie, Karen, Carrie, and Emily. Grace, Eli, Amy, and Alicia had set up the dining room while the rest of the family and friends had sat in the family room and watched Ron Howard's version of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". Rick and Jessie sat at the end of one of the couches. His left arm was wrapped around Jessie; who would always be in his mind, "Daddy's Little Girl". She would occasionally glance up and give him one her natural, angelic smiles. After dinner, Katie stood up at the head of the table to make an announcement to their families and friends.

"Jessie and I have some happy news we would like to share with everyone. Jessie is pregnant, and by the end of this summer there will be a new addition or additions to our families."

"How long have you known this?" they all asked them.

"It's been slightly over a month now." Jessie beamed at them.

"Why did you wait so long to tell us?" Karen asked before anyone else could get a word out.

"We decided this was the perfect time to tell you."

Eight months later

The last four months had been stressful for both of them. Katie did her best to keep Jessie happy, but it was wearing her out. She struggled to divide her time between work and looking after Jessie. This would cause an occasional fight. They both understood the stress, so by the time bedtime came around they had already made up and slept in each others arms. Fortunately, David and Emily Richards lived only ten minutes away. So when it got to be too tense, Emily would come over and help so they could take a break from each other.

August 20th

Jessie and Katie's families had decided it was time for a vacation to Los Angeles again. They hadn't had much time to spend there, during their first trip there, which was during the past Christmas holiday. Since Jessie was about to give birth, it gave them another good reason for the visit.

The hospital - 1:00 PM

Jessie had been in labor for two hours now, and the family was getting anxious. Katie would come out from time to time to keep them updated on the situation. They spent their time talking about everything they had done on the trip, the few things they still wanted to do before they left, and possible names just in case the girls needed help with that. Katie hadn't told them Jessie was expecting twins, a girl and a boy. Even though they appreciated the help they got in picking names, Katie and Jessie had decided on names a month after finding out that it would be twins. They liked constantly surprising their families. They all looked up to see a nurse walking towards them with an unreadable expression on her face, which worried them until she spoke.

"Jessie and Katie would like to see all of you in the recovery room now."

They quickly followed the nurse. When they entered the room, they saw Jessie and Katie each holding a baby.

"We'd like to introduce you to the two, newest additions to our families. Please welcome Alexis Grace and Matthew Richard Sammler."

Everyone felt their hearts melt at two of the cutest babies they had ever seen. Rick and Grace especially felt it after they heard the names the girls had chosen for the twins.

Two days later

Everyone was relaxing in the family room as Jessie and Katie made their way upstairs to put the babies to bed in the nursery that their parents helped prepare for them. They didn't realize that the baby monitor had already been turned on and that their conversation could be heard loud and clear downstairs.

"Jessie, how happy are you right now?"

"Happier than I ever thought I could be. We have great jobs, a beautiful home, very loving families, the best friends we could ever ask for, and two of the cutest babies I have ever seen."

"Yeah, I totally agree. I don't think life could get any better."

As they began to tell them good night, both twins got a little fussy. Jessie sang softly to them "Hush Little Baby". By the time she finished, they were sleeping peacefully in their cribs. When they arrived back downstairs, the first thing they saw were smiles on everyone's face and tears were coming down Karen and Carrie's cheeks. They stared at each other with a slightly puzzled look. Then they saw that the baby monitor was on and realized that they had heard everything. They blushed a bright shade of red, but this time they didn't care. Everyone was healthy and happy, and that's all that mattered to them.

The End

I hope that this was a happy enough ending for all of you who read this.


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